(How Service Solutions Inc. Helps You Avoid the W-2 Scam Headed for Your Inbox)
It’s February in Louisville.
Tax season is picking up. Your accountant’s buried. Your bookkeeper’s gathering documents. Your team is juggling W-2s, 1099s and deadlines.
But before the IRS forms start causing headaches… the first major tax-season problem isn’t paperwork at all.
It’s a scam — and it hits small businesses in Kentucky and Southern Indiana first because you’re busy, overloaded and trusting.
And if you’re not ready, this one can expose every employee on your payroll.
🎯 The W-2 Scam: The First Big Tax Season Attack
Here’s exactly how it plays out for small businesses in the Louisville area:
Your HR or payroll person receives an email that looks like it’s from your CEO, owner, or office manager.
The message is short, simple and urgent:
“Can you send me the W-2s for all employees? I need them for a meeting with the accountant. Please send ASAP — slammed today.”
Nothing about it seems suspicious.
It’s tax season. W-2s get shared all the time. Everyone’s moving fast.
So… they send the W-2s.
Except the email wasn’t from the CEO.
It was from a cybercriminal using:
✔ A spoofed email address
✔ A look-alike domain
✔ Public information about your company
✔ Timing that feels completely normal
And now they have:
- Employee names
- Social Security numbers
- Salaries
- Addresses
- Everything needed for identity theft
This is one of the most financially destructive HR scams small businesses deal with — and Louisville is no exception.
💥 The Fallout: What Happens After the W-2 Leak
You won’t know it happened right away.
Instead, weeks later your employees will start saying:
❌ “My tax return got rejected — it says I already filed.”
❌ “Why is there a credit check in my name?”
❌ “This loan application isn’t mine.”
Once cybercriminals have W-2s, they can:
- File fake tax returns
- Steal employee refunds
- Open credit accounts
- Commit long-term identity theft
And now your business is responsible for cleanup, communication, remediation and damage control.
This is why the W-2 scam is devastating.
It hits your employees, not just your business.
🔥 Why This Scam Works So Well
This isn’t old-school phishing. Criminals do their homework.
It works because:
✔ The timing looks legitimate
February = W-2 season. Nobody questions the request.
✔ The request feels normal
It’s not asking for money — it’s asking for documents you already handle.
✔ The urgency feels realistic
Accountants are busy. Deadlines are tight. This fits the tone of tax season.
✔ The sender LOOKS real
Criminals research the company org chart, website and LinkedIn.
✔ Employees want to be helpful
Especially to an “urgent” request from the boss.
This is a social engineering attack, not a technical hack.
🛡️ How Louisville Businesses Can Stop the W-2 Scam Cold
Good news:
This is preventable with policy + awareness, not expensive tools.
- Create a “W-2s NEVER Get Emailed” Policy
No exceptions.
Not CEO requests.
Not “urgent.”
Not “just this once.”
W-2s only move through secure payroll portals, never email.
- Require Verification for Any Sensitive Request
If someone asks for payroll or employee data:
📞 Call them
💬 Message them
🚶 Walk down the hall
ANY channel besides replying to the email.
- Hold a 10-Minute Tax-Season Scam Huddle
Do it now — not later.
Train payroll and HR on:
- What the scam looks like
- Why it works
- The verification process
- What to NEVER send electronically
- Enable MFA on All Payroll and HR Systems
If credentials get stolen, MFA stops the login cold.
- Build a “Verify, Don’t Assume” Culture
Employees should feel empowered to double-check, not afraid.
At Service Solutions Inc., we teach teams that verification is a win — not paranoia.
🌪️ The Bigger Picture: The W-2 Scam Is Just the Beginning
Between now and April, expect:
- Fake IRS notices
- Spoofed emails from “your accountant”
- Fraudulent tax software updates
- Fake refund alerts
- Payroll phishing
- Malware disguised as tax documents
Tax season is open season for cybercriminals in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
Businesses that come out clean aren’t lucky — they’re prepared.
🔍 Is Your Business Ready for Tax Season Scams?
If you already have:
✔ MFA
✔ Email spoofing protection
✔ Staff training
✔ Document-handling rules
✔ Verification processes
You’re WAY ahead of most small businesses in Louisville.
If not…now is the time.
🚀 Book a FREE 10-Minute Discovery Call
Service Solutions Inc. will walk you through:
- Your W-2 handling risks
- HR & payroll vulnerabilities
- Your email security posture
- A tax-season scam prevention checklist
- The #1 policy 90% of small businesses miss
No jargon. No pressure. Just clarity.
👉 Book Your 10-Minute Tax Season Security Call Here
Because tax season is stressful enough without identity theft on top of it.
Written By: Steve Edrington, CEO of Service Solutions Inc.
